Gregory A. White, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, today announced that financial litigation efforts by the U. S. Attorney’s Office during the last fiscal year, October 1, 2006 through September 30, 2007, produced recoveries of $63,526,848.45.

“The monies collected were more than four times the Northern District of Ohio’s $15.5 million dollar operating budget, including all the salaries of the approximately 170 full and part time employees located in Cleveland, Akron, Youngstown and Toledo,” said Mr. White.

Included in the monies collected during fiscal year 2007 were $9.4 million in criminal fines, assessments, and restitutions, and $42.9 million in assets forfeited as the result of seizures of illegally acquired or used cash, cars and real estate. The office also recovered $3 million arising out of foreclosure, bankruptcy, and other civil cases. The Affirmative Civil Enforcement Program recovered more than $8.1 million in cases involving environmental and false claims filed with the government.

The money collected from civil judgments and criminal fines and penalties is deposited to the Treasury, and restitution money collected from criminal cases is used to make restitution and/or to provide assistance to the victims of crime. Asset forfeiture money is deposited into the Asset Forfeiture Fund for distribution by the Department of Justice pursuant to federal law. Within the last decade, restitution to victims of crime has become a major objective of criminal monetary sanctions. The Victim and Witness Protection Act provides for restitution when a defendant is convicted of an offense under Title 18 of the United States Code. The victim may be the federal government, a business, or an individual.

As a result of the passage of the Federal Debt Collection Procedures Act of 1990, the United States is now able to successfully collect delinquent debts through such means as continuous garnishment of wages and bank accounts.

Mr. White said, “At a period of time when the Government continues to seek ways to balance the budget, the U. S. Attorney’s Office will do all in its power to maximize recovery of debts owed to the United States. The Department of Justice has made the collection of unpaid civil debts and criminal fines and restitutions a top priority for all U. S. Attorney Offices.”